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Very good experience for our family - we are two 50 y/o old adults with two older teen kids 17 and 20. A last minute booking with about 10 day's notice.

Pros:All-Inclusive - you really can't beat it. All the pressure is off. We completely enjoyed it.

Staff was fantastic. So nice, accommodating, fun.

$1800 in credits to use makes for a really nice break and encourages you to DO things. We did the City Tour, surf lessons, and between us had 5 massages and a pedicure and still didn't use them all up! You do have a 20% "copay" for these activities but the out of pocket costs are reasonable.

Rosy the waitress (poolside and beachside) was fantastic. She was there when you needed her every time and brought drinks quickly. Her reputation preceded her!

Octavio the bartender at the swim up bar was great too. Best thing to do is to check out all the liquors they have to offer and call specifically what type you want in your drink. Otherwise it may be a bit funky. Be open to trying new drinks - keep your eyes open and you'll see some crazy ones!

Manager (forgot his name - sorry!) was a huge help finding our son's shoes in their immense Lost & Found system - just in time before we left for home. Much appreciated.

All the guac you can eat - all day long! Hooray! (Other food too, of course)

Restaurants were quite good - Frieda's was the best and a very diverse and interesting menu (the steak tampiquena was amazing! As were the soups, the desserts, stuffed peppers, everything!) Ipanema Brazilian was also great - tons of food and they keep coming by again and again to offer different cuts of meat (chicken too). Ciao Italian was delicious as well. The Market was good for breakfast and lunch and has A/C, an omelet bar, fajita bar at lunch - tons of fresh fruit and multiple buffet items every day. Our sushi eaters loved Zen, but I didn't think their teriyaki was very good...

We were there Aug 16-22 and there was NO problem getting 4 lounge chairs together at beach or pool any time of day. Maybe by then they were moving into the slower season? Beach was essentially empty. Not many younger people for our 17 and 20 year old kids to hang with, but they survived - it was a great time together with them as near-adults. Advise to split time between day on tours and days at the pool.

Sunsets were spectacular every night - be sure to go set yourself up on the beach in a lounge chair with a drink from 8 - 8:45 every night. Then get dinner afterwards. (We were in pool hanging out until at least 7 every day.) Rained several nights while we slept - and had a fantastic lightning storm one night - wow!!

The beach is nice, but be aware that the water is warm - 85 degrees- and definitely NOT the clear-blue you find in some places in the tropics. For our trip there was a lot of fine sand and silt in the water so it was hazy brown at the shoreline the whole time.

Our Family Suite was 2 adjoining rooms , 1 King bed for us and 2 doubles in the kids' room - plus a bath for each room. But having us adjoin was great. Didn't have to go down the hall or knock on their door - we could all just wander in and out of the 2 rooms, watch a movie together, coordinate when were were leaving, etc. (however we could lock each other out if desired.) Also - rooms were on the ground floor right by the pools, so very easy to get back to if you wanted a change or to use the restroom. Highly recommend. Also, no noise complaints. Rooms 1010 and 1011. No sunset view, but you should be out on the beach for that anyway!

As for the free tours you can schedule with your credits, we really liked the "City Tour" which really should be called the "Town and Country" tour. Freddy was the best tour guide on a big air conditioned bus that took us to old Puerto Vallerta to see the old cobblestone streets and red tile roofs, the church dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, up to a great vista and then down to a shopping area. Then we drove along to coast hugging the south side of the bay, stopped for photos at Los Arcos, then up into to jungle for a visit to a tequila factory - with free tastings! Wonderfully interesting day. Lunch was ordered first and then served in a beautiful location post tequila tasting but was not included, and was pricey - so just plan ahead for that (get the lobster - amazing!). ALSO - VERY IMPORTANT - If your do this tour or any tour that takes you into the jungle (zip line, etc) you MUST cover yourself with bug repellant - DEET or even something stronger that you can only get in Mexico. There are teeny tiny mosquitos that get you - you don't even notice, but the next day you will be COVERED in bites that will progressively get worse. 5 days later my legs look like I'm covered in chicken pox. Avoid this if you can. No one warned us.

Free wifi !

Awesome bright green iguana as we walked to breakfast one day!

Met a nice young man on the beach one night at sunset who shot a ton of amazing photos of us for $25-50. Gave us everything on a flash drive and CD on the spot. This is NOT part of the hotel - he was just an entrepreneur doing this on the side, and the beach is federal property so it is his prerogative to do so. He just happened to see me as I was trying to set up a self timer photo, so it was perfect for us. We arranged to meet him the next night and got 40-50 AMAZING photos. (Hard Rock has a company called Rock Shots that offers the same thing, but they were all booked up. Would have cost us $250 of our resort credits anyway so this was much better.)

Cons:Their wine is awful. Just don't botherOnly 2 beer selections at the bars - Tecate Light and Indio. This seemed strange to us. No Modelo? Corona? Bohemia? Pacifico? Having to deal with exchanging towels/towel cards can be a pain.Beach is not that gorgeous crystal blue color - you'll have to get over that.

Be aware:You can attend a 90 minute sales pitch to join their vacation club and get all sorts of free add-ons as a reward - if you can handle it. Not too high pressure; to be honest we never really understood the benefit of the program they were offering, but at the end we received a free romantic dinner for 2 on the beach at sunset (great ambience, but probably our least favorite meal of the week - good thing it was free - list price was $500!) and a trip for 4 to any of the big outings they offer - we selected the Marietas Eco Tour. So it was worth it. Just do it and you'll get free stuff. However - I'd recommend avoiding all the other time share crazies that try to grab you (airport, etc.) and just do this at the hotel. (They explained all our activity options, resort credits, etc. and then offered this "opportunity" at the end right when we arrived, as we were waiting for our room.)

Know your cellular limitations - Verizon charges 5 cents for each incoming text and 50 cents for each you send - best to insist everyone turn off their texting. (Easier said than done.) Makes it hard to communicate between each other when we were used to texting and now we couldn't. We texted through Facebook as an alternative, but make sure you switch over the the hotel's free wifi. They also offer free calls to the USA, Canada and Mexico from the room phones.

Room Tip: Our Family Suite was 2 adjoining rooms , 1 King bed for us and 2 doubles in the kids' room - 2 b...

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Stayed August 2014, traveled with family

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Luis E, General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, responded to this review,
August 28, 2014

Dear purvline,

Thank you very much for your sweet and very detailed review, I am so glad to hear that you and your beautiful family have enjoyed your stay, also I would like to thank you too for all the feedback comments, which make possible for us to grow and achieve our service and quality goals as well, looking forward to greet you back soon, and always with the joy of being able to provide you a Rockstar vacation!

Keep the good memories!

Luis Entrala FàbregasGeneral ManagerHard Rock Hotel Vallarta

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Lovely hotel and welcome by reception. Rooms a bit noisy but did not disturb sleep. Fantastic music in every room. Food choices excellent, no queues and staff helpful and polite. Pool and beach waiters are amazing. Special thanks to Canario and Rosie (from your welsh family) who gave special service every day of our 14 days. We will be back !!

Room Tip: Pick a high level floor

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Stayed July 2014, traveled with family

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Luis E, General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, responded to this review,
August 23, 2014

Dear Lisa C

Wow! I loved your Sweet review, Thank you very much for sharing your awesome experience with us. Nothing rocks our world more than hearing that you enjoyed every moment of your vacation. It is reassuring to hear that the staff members, Canario and Rosy did an awesome job, we appreciate the great comments about them, we will let them know that rocked your world! The staff is the heart and soul of our resort and they work hard to make our dear rockers feel like diamonds!

Luis Entrala FàbregasGeneral ManagerHard Rock Hotel Vallarta

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We again had a wonderful experience at a Hard Rock. The rooms on the 8th floor were amazing and greatly attended by Armando(?). He is by FAR the best housekeeper I have ever had. Our personal vacation planner was most attentive and left us to our privacy when we weren't interested in anything. So thanks to Alfredo for making excellent choices in excursions. By far the best waitstaff is ROSY This lady hustles non-stop from the time you sit until the time you go in. Look for her down on the beach. Even when we moved to the pool she would check on our needs. The restaurants are the same name as Punta Cana although smaller and not as good. With the exception of Zen This is the best service and food on the premises. If you are a major gambler try the casino, It is very secure (complete with metal detector) and the miniumum bet is low. I wouldn't bother again. The excursions with Vallarta Adverntures were very organized and professional. The city tour took all day but was highly enjoyable. We learned a lot about the culture and got to see some awesome back roads. If you get motion sickness sit in the front of the bus as it is quite bumpy and wind through the mountains. Take BUG SPRAY everywhere. My sons look like they had the chicken pox.

Stayed August 2014, traveled with family

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Luis E, General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, responded to this review,
August 27, 2014

Dear missy1083,

Thank you ver much for your great review, as well for to share your appreciation about our resort, I can see that you have enjoyed our Rockstar service, thank you too for your positive comments about our staff members Armando and Rosy, the staff is the heart and soul of the resort and they work hard to make our dear rockers feel like diamonds! We cannot wait to roll out the red carpet to greet you back to Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta.

Kind Regards.

Luis Entrala FàbregasGeneral ManagerHard Rock Hotel Vallarta

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Accommodations: We requested a double bed occupancy with our travel agency, Pleasant Holidays. We arrived to a king bed occupancy with no other options even though the other guests with double bed reservations had not yet arrived. The original king bed room was small with a large balcony. We requested a larger king room with a smaller balcony. After repeatedly stating that they were all the same size, "Paulina" finally comprehended what we were stating and complied. No one told us we had to put our room key in the slot to make the electricity/lights work.... We ran around plugging things into other plugs and finally had to call down and report our power wasn't working.... Oh... they forgot to tell us about the little slot in the entry way!!!!

Legendary: We were told that we MUST meet with "Adriana", our "concierge" for our stay. She called several times and left a message then caught us live. She's actually a salesperson for their "timeshare" like program. We felt strong armed into accepting a 90 minute presentation and they would gift us a trip to Las Caletas with a ton of excursions (snorkeling, massages, kayaking, etc.). The drawback being we would have to attend the session at 8:30 am. No one wants to wake up early on vacation. However, we woke up at 7... and went to the meeting point to be advised by a RUDE "Miguel" (el jefe to Adriana), who told us that Adriana made a mistake and shouldn't have given us the package. Tough luck, now go away! His attitude and level of professionalism???? A -10!

Food: Our food was consistently COLD or under cooked! Breakfast? Cold. Dinner? Cold. That was the only option. The food had absolutely no flavor and was nowhere near "authentic" to its specific region (italian, brazilian or chinese). The highlight???? The Little Stand next to Frida's that provided made-to-order quesadillas, hot dogs and hamburgers!!!! We lived off of it daily!!!! OMG!!! On our last evening, we found a McDonalds in the "mall" across the street!!! Our saving grace!! We only wished we had found it sooner.

Drinks: Inconsistent. However, they were endless. Top Shelf Liquor?? Not an option. At least it wasn't in the "all inclusive".

Beach/Lounge Chairs: Here's a bit of help for the new guests.... Have someone in your group get up at 8:00am and run to the towel booth. Get each of your towels and lay them out on a group of lounge chairs. If you don't do so, you will not get a lounge chair for the day!!!! That's the Hard Rock way of reserving and getting access to a poolside chair. That's prime real estate!!!! Make sure you turn your towel in daily and get your towel card back because like they warned you when you arrived, you'll have to pay $20 per towel card that's not surrendered upon check out!!!

Resort Credits: DO NOT BUY INTO IT!!!! All of the excursions, wine, upgrades are HORRIBLY OVERPRICED so that you can use up all the credits and not get anything in return. Our massages were $210 each for 80 minutes.... Although the massage was ok, it was highly OVERPRICED!!!! The Dolphin Excursion is offered outside the resort for 40% off... Just google it... Do not pay the $189 plus 20% "service charge"!!! It's a rip off!!!!

Dolphin Excursion: Have someone in your group go with you to the location and take the pictures for you. Although they are about 20 feet away, It's better than paying $170 for a package (that's based on 2 people). They tell you the video is of you swimming under water with the dolphin.......... It's of everyone in the ENTIRE group.... I don't really want a video of EVERYONE!!!!

Children under 12 free: People really take advantage of this........ There were kids EVERYWHERE!!!!! No offense, but, there were far more children than adults.

The highlight of our trip???? "Canario" our poolside waiter!!! He has a relaxed disposition and takes good care of you.... He will get whatever you want. His area during our trip was near Frida's and on the beach area near there... He deserves a HIGH FIVE! The one day he wasn't working was so very noticeable because the service provided by the others didn't measure up.

Do I have to say it???? We will not return to the Hard Rock resorts anywhere. The End.

Room Tip: If you want double bed occupancy, you might not get it here if there are more families with children...

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Stayed August 2014, traveled with friends

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Luis E, General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, responded to this review,
August 25, 2014

Dear queenieboop,

Thank you for taking the time to share your comments with us, as it give us an opportunity to address your concerns. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced during your stay; this is certainly not the Rock Star treatment our valued rockers expect while they are on stage. Concerning your comments about your accommodations, we apologize for any inconvenience with your room assignment, I would like to apologize also for the rude treatment you have experienced during your stay, Hard Rock is all about music and fun; We offer evening shows, live music, karaoke, and much more. That’s the rock star lifestyle! I appreciate you bringing this matter to my attention and I want you to know please, the behavior of the person involved in no way reflects the standards to which we hold our staff members. A customer care agent will contact you via private message. Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to serving you in the future.

Luis Entrala FàbregasGeneral Manager Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta

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2nd time visiting in 18 months-another great experience with Hard Rock. Jenny at the pool - SUPER! Find Jenny - she will take care of you. She is very professional, knows their customer, what they want and need (ice cold water and I didn't have to ask for it), and don't even have to be asked twice for anything. Isela patiently making my morning espresso (actually 4 doubles every morning and again mid-morning) really made this trip 5 stars for the two familes that travelled together. The bartender and the ladies knew their coctails and what we wanted and how. Loved the re-design and separate game room. The rooms are great. For families of 3, I recommend King + roll away and not 2 beds. Thank you Room Service for being patient with the kids. Loved the 80s music and the bands - way to get your kids into the good old classic rock and metal if you are struggling with tolerating the new generations music taste:) All went well. Love the casual atmosphere. Had to talk once to the PR person (sorry, very lovely lady, very well spoken) - great personality, customer and best in class driven.

Here are some tips for the resort: sweet wines (moscato, Japanese plum wine) and beer (for the Asian restaurant); better control when it rains - the floors were super slippery at the entrances. It would be nice to have a small chair or a hidden clothing line on the balcony for drying swimwear and not only in the shower.

See you again later this year.

Room Tip: For families of 3, I recommend King + roll away and not 2 beds. I love the partial view, where you c...

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Stayed August 2014, traveled with family

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Luis E, General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, responded to this review,
August 22, 2014

Greetings ElenasRock ,

Thank You for your thrilling review, is my pleasure to read your comments about your recent stay, thank you as well to mention Jenny, I am constantly monitoring the comments of our dear Guests and she is receiving many compliments at lately, we hope to greet you back soon, here at Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta to provide you one more time the Rockstar experience you deserve.Keep the Hard Rock memories!

Luis Entrala FàbregasGeneral ManagerHard Rock Hotel Vallarta

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We had a great time at the Hard Rock. I had never stayed at an all inclusive hotel, and I was very impressed. The room was nice, clean, and we'll appointed. The food was great, lots of variety and plenty of choices. The staff and service amazing.When I arrived I was taken aback by the very modern and stark building,but after five minutes, everything changed. The staff was so welcoming and happy, I forgot about the lack of atmosphere. Everyone goes out of there way to help in every way. The hotel is situated on a beautiful beach where I spent most of my time under a palapa. There is lots to do, parasailing ,jet skiing ,surf boarding. I even enjoyed shopping from the many venders that came from time to time. The beach is long and wide which makes it perfect for walking. About ten minutes from the hotel is a turtle sanctuary where baby turtles are released. The entire staff is fabulous. In particular Rosy. She was the server on the beach. Also the staff at the Ciao restaurant for breakfast was outstanding.We had a great time. My grandchildren love Mexico, and so do I.

Stayed August 2014, traveled with family

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Luis E, General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, responded to this review,
August 22, 2014

Greetings sierra1_12,

I would like to thank you for taking the time to share with us your travel experience in our resort. I appreciate your great comments about the rock star service you received from Rosy and the staff at Ciao, I will make sure they gets your compliments; we know they will appreciate them. I understand that little things make a huge difference when on vacation, we would make of your future visit a perfect rock n’ roll vacation. Looking forward to welcome you all again.

Luis Entrala FàbregasGeneral Manager Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta

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The best experience you can have during your family vacation is to arrive to de Hard Rock Hotel. I highly recommend. The place worths every dollar you pay. Thera are great activities for adults, teenagers and kids.

Stayed August 2014, traveled with family

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Helpful?

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Luis E, General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, responded to this review,
August 22, 2014

Apptreciated

Thank you very much for reviewed our resort, is my pleasure to hear that you had a blast! Thank you too for recommend us so kindly, looking forward to greet you back soon to Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta. Keep on Rocking!

Luis Entrala FàbregasGeneral Manager Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta

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Also Known As:

Vallarta Palace Hotel Nuevo Vallarta

Vallarta Palace Nuevo

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